t is election fever in Africa and
as the citizenry take up their
democratic right, questions
abound as to how fair and transparent is the electoral process.
When African countries go to vote,
seldom do we hear of positive stories emanating from the process.
In the recent past, African countries that have undergone this
democratic process have emerged
with a very gloomy outcome. Take
for instance the general elections
held in Kenya in late 2007, fault
lines emerged and the aftermath
was a country left in turmoil until
peace efforts were put in place.

I

t is election fever in Africa and
as the citizenry take up their
democratic right, questions
abound as to how fair and transparent is the electoral process.
When African countries go to vote,
seldom do we hear of positive stories emanating from the process.
In the recent past, African countries
that have undergone this democratic
process have emerged with a very
gloomy outcome. Take for instance
the general elections held in Kenya in
late 2007, fault lines emerged and the
aftermath was a country left in turmoil
until peace efforts were put in place.
Zimbabwe is another country
that saw elections marred by massive fraud and brutal suppression.
The very purpose of elections is to
achieve participatory governance
without violence and as Ethiopia
concluded its elections, reports of
irregularities were rife way before the
winner was announced. The expected outcome was that the incumbent
would triumph and so was the case.
In reality, Africa’s electoral democracy is a mixed bag of results. Whereas progress has been made in some
countries, hiccups continue to plague
this process in others. Of great note
is that it is always the losing end that
claim the process was flawed which
begs the question; will there ever be
a free and fair election in Africa.

Feature
Let Me School

In Sub-Saharan Africa, it is not
uncommon to find a household
headed by a minor. A number of
factors precipitate this unfortunate
situation, and sad as it is, It happens under the very open eyes of
authorities. Child labour is not a new
phenomenon in the world particularly in Africa. Reports indicate that
there are an estimated 80 million
child workers across Africa and it is
feared that the number could rise to
100 million by 2015.
Children have been forced into
labour due to poverty which is
regarded a major and ubiquitous
factor that limits economic opportunities in most populations in African
countries. A majority of the children
are usually employed in the agricultural sector where they serve as
farm hands in tea, coffee, sugar or
rice plantations to mention a few.
The conditions they work in are
often hazardous and they put in up
to 18 hours of work in a day. Effects
of war in conflict zones have also
greatly contributed to children beinights.

Effects of war in conflict zones have
also greatly contributed to children
being forced to eke out a living to
support the remaining members of
the family.
Child trafficking is another major
contributor to rising levels of child
labour. Minors as young as 10 are
exposed to illicit operations ranging
from prostitution to employment
in the drug trade among other
criminal activities. Domestic work in
most private homes is conducted by
minors who earn meager wages and
are sometimes sexually exploited by
their employers.
Efforts to counter this trend have
been put in place in countries
such as Nigeria where the national
legislature has outlawed human
trafficking, while Gabon has set up
a national commission against child
trafficking. Organizations such as
the CRADLE in Kenya are relentless
in their pursuit of advocacy on
children’s rights.

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(555) 555-5555

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VELENDIP

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Business
A Lucrative
World Cup?

T

he excitement is fever pitch and
with only 3 days to go, business owners in South Africa are
looking forward to a month of minting
thousands of Rand. Having parted with
a hefty $4.6 million to host the tournament, what the rainbow nation needs is
fans and lots of them. However, there is
a sinking realization that the event will
not be as lucrative as most people initially hoped. With the number of foreign
fans having been reduced drastically,
most small scale business are crying
foul and the pop-up establishments
will not reap the expected benefits.
Owners of small establishments in the
outskirts of major towns that had spent
a fortune in refurbishment and upgrading their buildings have to contend
with the prospect of missing out on the
world cup pot of gold. Many reasons
have been fronted to explain the turn of
events but of main concern is the recent
global economic crisis that rocked
most economies particularly in Africa.
In comparison to the World Cup
in Germany, connectivity in terms of
infrastructure acted as a huge boost
to the turn up of fans as one could
book a cheap flight or the train and
travel comfortably to Germany.
For the die hard football fans, it is go
South Africa go as they prepare for a
month long of the best foot ball action
and vagaries associated with it.

2 BLA BLA BLA Exero 01, 5555

Environment

World cup is Here!

T

Sports

GORILLAS UNDER Siege.

HEY BEAR close resemblance to

human beings and usually inhabit
densely populated forests. The
Mountain Gorillas are huge robust primates that live in groups. These animals
are highly intelligent and though they
possess a tough exterior, within they are
gentle giants.
THE MOUNTAIN Gorillas are found in Central
Africa and they inhabit a forest that straddles the Democratic Republic of Congo
(DRC), Rwanda and Uganda. may become
extinct in Central Africa by mid 2020’s.
THE SITUATION is especially desperate in the
DRC where the Congo forest has undergone
wanton destruction by human population
more so the militias who have destroyed
enormous chunks of land in a bid to mine
metals such as gold and coltan which is
used in cell phones. This is reported to
generate $14million – $15million annually.
Illegal timber trade is also a huge detriment
to the forest.
CONSERVATION EFFORTS have been top gear
with the UN planning to airlift baby gorillas
from the Congo to a sanctuary slated for
mid July. In Rwanda there exists the Kwita
Izina which is a unique ceremony that was
established in 2005 with the aim of conserving these gentle beasts.
A WELL coordinated approach is the main
sustainable way of achieving long-term
success to conserving the Mountain Gorilla
and efforts to protect this magnificent species have been lauded worldwide.

WORDS FROM THE CHAIRMAN SALIM AMIN

Extra

Play in Word Cup 2010.
“The first World Cup on African soil”,
“An Africa World cup”, such are the
titles that have been bestowed upon
the FIFA World Cup 2010. Indeed, it
is an event that has generated much
excitement in the whole of Africa as
the world’s finest in football scripture
head down south for a full month of
soccer galore.
All quarters of the South African
economy are expecting a major
boost due to the number of people
set to visit the nation. As the main
excitement is focused on the host
stadiums, off pitch, it is expected to
be equally busy.
Tourism will see a major boost
and synonymous with it comes
commercial sex trade. The issue of
legalizing prostitution in South Africa
ahead of the world cup has generated
a lot of heat and it was South
Africa’s police commissioner Jackie
Selebi who first proposed the idea.
Subsequently supported by ANC MP
George Lekgetho, who is quoted
to have said, “It is one of the things
that would make it [the tournament]

2

010 is a year that Africa
blazes the head lines for
a myriad of reasons. From
hosting the World Cup, to a
historic over 20 countries holding
general elections, it is a flurry of
activities in the continent.
As the electoral process
unfolds in various countries, the
question on most people’s lips is
whether the process is fair and
transparent.

a success…” during a meeting of
the Portfolio Committee on Arts and
Culture in Parliament.
Prostitutes from neighbouring
countries have been southward
bound in a bid to make extra killing
during the tournament and from
the look of things it is reported that
female sex workers could exceed
40,000 in numbers. With such an
influx of prostitutes, fears are rife that
this could increase the spread of HIV/
AIDS virus and separately encourage
human trafficking.
In a country where it is estimated that
1000 people die of HIV/AIDS daily,
and with one of the highest rate of
the virus, legalizing prostitution could
portend more gloom to South Africa
beyond the World Cup.
In retrospect, Germany’s success in
holding the 2006 World Cup was a
combination of many factors including
legalizing of public drinking and
prostitution but economically, it is a
country that is way ahead the rainbow
nation. South Africa’s reference to the
success of the 2006 World Cup is not
misplaced. However, looking beyond
2010 is fundamental as its future
reputation will not be solely defined
by this year’s World Cup.

For the sporty heads, it is soccer
galore as all roads lead to the
Rainbow nation to witness the
first event of this magnitude on
Africa’s soil.
Child labour is on the increase
and as Africa marks the Day of
the African Child on June 16th,
does the African child have a lot
to celebrate about?

It is a matter of great demand, greater
supply and as play goes beyond the
pitch, caution should headline the
party and making the right choice will
definitely go along way in ensuring a
more healthy economy.

Events of the
Month
•17 June - World Day to Combat
Desertification and Drought
•20 June- World Refugee Day
•23 June- United Nations Public
Service Day
•26 June- International Day
Against Drug Abuse and Illicit
Trafficking
•26 June - United Nations
International Day in Support of
Victims of Torture

Spark, we take a journey in
our rich continent and bring
you refreshing stories with a
difference.
We believe in the African voice
telling the African Story.

In this inaugural edition of The

CITIZENS CORNER

2

2

010 is a year that Africa blazes the head lines
for a myriad of reasons. From hosting the
World Cup, to a historic over 20 countries
holding general elections, it is a flurry of activities in
the continent.

010 is a year that Africa blazes the head lines
for a myriad of reasons. From hosting the
World Cup, to a historic over 20 countries
holding general elections, it is a flurry of activities in
the continent.

As the electoral process unfolds in various
countries, the question on most people’s lips is
whether the process is fair and transparent.

As the electoral process unfolds in various
countries, the question on most people’s lips is
whether the process is fair and transparent.

For the sporty heads, it is soccer galore as all
roads lead to the Rainbow nation to witness the
first event of this magnitude on Africa’s soil.

For the sporty heads, it is soccer galore as all
roads lead to the Rainbow nation to witness the
first event of this magnitude on Africa’s soil.

Child labour is on the increase and as Africa marks

Child labour is on the increase and as Africa marks

2

010 is a year that Africa blazes
the head lines for a myriad of
reasons. From hosting the World
Cup, to a historic over 20 countries
holding general elections, it is a flurry
of activities in the continent.
As the electoral process unfolds in
various countries, the question on
most people’s lips is whether the
process is fair and transparent.